The War Isn't Over
by potterlemonade08
Summary: The war of Hogwarts may be over, but for Harry his own battle is far from ending.
1. The Beginning Of The End

Harry was not the same after the war.

Although Lord Voldemort was gone, the trauma he left behind still remained. The losses of loved ones hung in the air and Harry was probably the most affected by this. These people who gave their lives in the brutal war, the war that could have been stopped if only Harry had been quicker to hand himself over. If he had walked into the Forbidden forest at the very beginning, people he cared about would still be here. Fred, Lupin, Tonks… Their charming and hilarious personalities would still be there making him laugh. Their smiling faces would still be there to support and care for him. But this was not the case because they were gone.

"Their memory will live on"

"They did not die in vain"

No matter how many people told him this, it was not enough for Harry.

Nightmares were what followed Harry after the war. Night after night, he saw the twisted and cruel face of Voldemort and the Deatheaters as they carelessly killed innocent witches and wizards, cackling without a trouble in the world. The bright green light that flashed in front of his eyes causing him to wake bolt upright, dripping with sweat.

He thought he should have been happy. Lord Voldemort, enemy of the wizarding world was now gone forever. But somehow Harry could not move on from the deaths, the people who had laid down their lives, for him…

"Harry mate, you alright?" asked Ron, looking concerned as they sat around the warm fire at their flat. They had been quick to move in together after the war. They were best friends, it simply seemed the logical thing to do and with Hermione away on a six month trip around Europe, they did not want to be alone at such a depressing time.

Harry had not realised he had been staring blankly for a while seeming almost lost. As though all the life had vanished from his emerald eyes and Ron, his best friend could clearly see this.

"Yeah" Harry mumbled after removing himself from his trance, "What were you saying?"

Ron's forehead creased as he frowned, he knew Harry was lying, he knew something was bothering him but he didn't press on it.

"I was just wondering about what we're gonna do now? I mean, we don't have to go back to Hogwarts do we? We could head straight into work… I've always wanted to become an Auror, I think I might just get in now I've fought in the worst war ever in the wizard world" Ron smiled jokily.

Harry nodded; of course any one of the people who fought in the war was a shoe-in for any job they wished. But leaving Hogwarts, he wasn't sure he was ready. It was his home. His first true home, as he didn't count the Dursleys. However, going back would seem strange, after everything that's happened. To see the magnificent castle in ruins may break his heart even more, if that was possible. He felt he had lost so much over the past couple of years; his heart had almost been broken beyond belief. Soon, Harry concluded that it was time to move on and that becoming an Auror was the next big step in his life. He was sure his parents would be proud of this decision.

"Let's do it then" he said firmly, "Become Aurors"

Ron looked at him in disbelief for a few seconds until a huge grin spread across his face,

"Really? You want to?"

"Why not?" Harry replied thoughtfully, "We need a job sooner or later, definitely before Hermione comes back"

Ron beamed at his best friend, although deep down he felt as though Harry was still unsure, he had heard the strangled moans in the middle of the night, he had heard the panting as Harry woke with a start. Ron knew his friend was damaged, but then they all were.


	2. Becoming Aurors

"Mr Potter?"

Harry lifted his head and hauled himself up from the cushy chair he had been slumped in next to Ron.

"Good luck" Ron grinned, giving him friendly thumbs up.

Harry hated interviews. He never knew what to say, he always got tongue-tied and started talking nonsense. But he had to focus, this was important. An interview to become an Auror, or to start auror training at least. Something Harry had always imagined himself doing, and looking back at his past, he thought he had a pretty good chance at getting a job. This didn't however make him any less nervous.

He had fought against a basilisk, dementors, death eaters and even Lord Voldemort but the thought of being asked hundreds of questions on his past strangely frightened him.

As he slid into the office, a small middle-aged man with dirty blonde hair and wearing a black crisps suit stood up from his desk ready to shake Harry's hand.

"Hello Mr Potter, I'm Darius Lorpin" he smiled, grasping his hand and giving it a shake.

"Hello" Harry replied in a low voice, trying best to sound as calm as possible.

"Why have you come here today?" he questioned, glaring at Harry with a puzzled expression on his tired face.

"Well I've always seen myself as an Auror and I'm-"

Lorpin cut him off quickly, "You must realise that someone like you doesn't even need an interview. Heck, you are probably more qualified than most of the aurors here!" he chuckled heartily.

Harry did not see the humorous side of this statement. "I don't want to be treated differently to any other candidate here, do you understand? Said Harry sternly, glaring deeply into Lorpin's beady eyes.

"I'm not special, I'm not brilliant… I'm just very lucky and had lots of help."

At that moment, he thought of Hermione, his beloved best friend. The person who had pulled him along and assisted him in defeating Voldemort, without her he'd probably be dead by now. Harry then felt a sad, dull pain inside him as he realised how much he missed her. He hadn't seen her in almost six months. Luckily for him, she was returning in a week or so from her wild adventure round Europe. She deserved a long holiday after the war and she had been particularly distressed by all the deaths. Getting away allowed her to clear her head.

"But Mr Potter, you are special"

Harry snapped back to reality, dragging himself away from thoughts of Hermione.

"I have heard wonderful, extraordinary things about you and of course you defeated the darkest wizard of all time" Lorpin's expression was sincere as he said this.

Harry merely sat there and stared at him. Even though this may be true was he really going to hand the job to him just like that?

"You may go" Lorpin uttered "You start on Monday, don't be late!" nodding towards the door.

Apparently he was.

Harry gave him a harsh look but thought it was best not to argue, so simply nodded and exited through the door. Outside an eager looking Ron was raring to go inside.

Harry smiled "Good luck mate."

He didn't need luck though. Harry knew Ron was destined to get a job, just as he had just managed to do. They would be working together; side by side just they had been right the way through Hogwarts. All they needed now was Hermione.

_A/N: This is a very short chapter! Sorry! Thanks for the reviews!_


	3. Hermione Returns

Today was the day. The day that Hermione was finally coming home and Harry and Ron were desperately trying to make their messy flat look somewhat presentable. They knew how much she hated things to be out of place.

Harry was using various charms to try and get rid of the dusty surfaces, while Ron was levitating all of their belongings that were scattered across the floor, dropping them into draws.

"I really hate cleaning" moaned Ron, looking bored out of his skill, "So glad Hermione's coming back so she can do it for us."

Once they had finished, they slumped down on the sofa sighing simultaneously. They had been there for less than a minute before the doorbell rang.

Ron was first to shoot up and rush to the door whereas Harry lifted his tired body up slowly ready to greet Hermione

As Ron yanked the door open, Harry was hit with shock. A woman stood there with gorgeously long flowing with blonde streaks running through it. Her skinned was sun-kissed and almost glowed in the light. Her teeth were glistening white and perfectly straight. Was that truly Hermione?

"Ron! Harry!" she squealed, dropping her bags and throwing her arms around them both. Harry was bewildered. He could not believe that this was his best friend. She was not the girl with bushy hair and slightly over sized teeth he had said goodbye to all those months ago. She was a matured young woman. Six months can really change a person Harry thought.

She was beautiful.

Harry felt a strange sensation as Hermione pulled away from the hug, beaming at them with delight.

"Oh, I've missed you both so much" she said looking as though she was about to burst into tears.

"We've missed you too" Ron exclaimed happily, shoving his hands in his pockets causally. Harry nodded his head in agreement, but he could not find any words to say. Her appearance had somehow mesmerised him in a weird way. Her aura made his heart skip a beat.

He felt odd. His feelings towards Hermione were completely different. Before he felt as though she was a sister to him. But now, all he wanted was to run up to her and embrace her in a passionate kiss, hold her and never let go. What was coming over him?

Her newly perfect smile, her warming glow, her caramel hair that hung delicately down her body. Harry almost had to stop himself from dribbling.

"H-hermione, you look f-fantastic" he managed to stuttered. Her cheeks turned crimson.

"You think so? I thought it was time for a change, a new me" she smiled. Once again Harry nodded, not able to take his eyes of her.

"I see you kept the place clean" Hermione affirmed, glancing round the flat, "I'm impressed"

Ron shot a smug look at Harry, but noticed he was still fixed on Hermione.

"Guess what? Me and Harry have started auror training" Ron chirped gleefully,

"Oh that's great!" Bet it's really hard!" she replied,

"Yeah it is, isn't mate?" Ron looking at Harry for an agreement, but he had not managed to stop his gawking.

Ron snapped his fingers in front of his face and Harry soon removed his gaze.

"What?" he asked, peering at Ron who simply shook his head. His best friend had seemed so distance lately he should be used to it.

"What are you staring at?" he wondered.

Harry wasn't sure how to answer this. What was he staring at? Or the question was who? Because it wasn't Hermione, it couldn't be. He was admiring the most beautiful person he had ever laid eyes on. He had seen Hermione in a new light. Before he had been looking at her and seeing a sister figure who did his homework for him and bossed him around but now, he was seeing her for what she truly was.

Perfection.


	4. The Pressure of Love

"Harry, are you coming?" called Hermione from within the living room.

He had been trying to compose himself in front of the mirror for nearly twenty minutes now. But he couldn't. So many different emotions were racing through his mind. On one hand, he still ached with pain from the deaths of the war and on the other hand, he had a newly found compassion for the girl he had called his best friend for seven years.

As he emerged from the bathroom, he found Ron and Hermione standing waiting for him. Ron dressed in a suit looking probably the smartest he's ever been in his entire life and Hermione in a classic black dress, looking simply gorgeous.

"What took you so long?" she asked, one hand placed on her hip.

"My hair" he sighed, pointing to the black ruffled mess on the top of his head. It was a good excuse considering he could never tame his hair.

"We're going to be late" Ron groaned, checking his watch.

They were off for a lovely meal with the Weasleys to celebrate Hermione's return. Harry knew it would be tense, following Fred's death and that it was going to flood his mind with horrible thoughts of the war all over again. He was dreading it.

They apparated quickly to the very posh wizard restaurant located along Diagon Alley. As expected, the entire Weasley family were sat a long table waiting for them. Everyone was beaming at them as they took their seats.

Hermione next to Mrs Weasley, Ron next to George and Harry next to Ginny.

"Hermione dear, you look amazing" Mrs Weasley shrilled, moving her fingers over the soft curls within her hair. Hermione grinned,

"Thank you Molly, I feel amazing! That trip definitely led me on a new path"

Everyone simpered at Hermione's appearance, but they didn't feel as strongly as Harry.

"How have you been?" Ginny whispered gently in his right ear, he turned his head to look at her. She looked very pretty. Her ginger hair in a tousled bun, her brown eyes shining.

"Really good" he replied, obviously lying "How about you?"

"Better now you're here" she grinned, lacing her arm around his, leaning against him slightly.

Harry smiled weakly at her, he would be lying if he said he wanted the girl on his arm to be Hermione and not Ginny, but still he acted content.

Once all of their food had reached the table, the questions headed Harry's way.

"So Harry, Ron, how is the auror training going?" Mr Weasley asked, tucking into his meal.

Harry glanced up from his meal, "Great, really challenging"

"Yeah, but Harry's been awesome obviously" Ron confessed, "Knew he would be."

Harry genuinely smiled for the first time in ages. Warmth spread across his body as he comprehended his friends compliment. He could always count on Ron to make him feel better.

"Thanks mate" he replied, expressing this happiness.

They devoured their food quickly and allowed the cutlery to clatter onto their plates. Harry leant back feeling full, realising Ginny was still attached to him.

Mrs Weasley eyed them affectionally. Harry knew it was her dream for him and Ginny to get married, but this thought made him feel uncomfortable.

"We better be getting home" Hermione announced at last.

"Yeah" Ron agreed, standing up. Harry followed his action, removing Ginny's grip from his arm softly.

"Thanks so much, this was lovely" Hermione said calmly.

When they apparated into their flat, it was pitch black. Harry reached for the light switch and turned it on slightly, so there was a dim light.

"I'm going to bed" Ron sighed, shuffling towards his bedroom, leaving Hermione and Harry alone in the living room.

Harry knew he could have a chance in telling Hermione about how he felt, she was the only one who would understand. Or at least he hoped.

"Want some wine?" he asked, going to the kitchen cupboard and taking out a bottle.

"Alright" Hermione shrugged, flopping down on the sofa.

Once Harry had poured two glasses of luxury white wine, he lowered himself down next to himself, handing her a glass.

"Hmmm" she said, taking a sip "that's wonderful."

They sat in an awkward silence for a moment, slowly taking sips of their wine until Harry broke the silence.

"H-hermione" he mumbled, but then words failed him. He swirled the wine around in his glass, trying to think of something to say to her. He couldn't just blurt out his feelings to her just like that, he didn't know if he could.

"Yes Harry?" she answered, staring directly at him with dark brown eyes.

Harry moved his eyes towards her and felt his heart melt. She was so beautiful, he couldn't handle it. He wanted to hold her so much it hurt.

"Nothing" he whispered, shaking his head "I'm going to go to bed," he gulped down the last of his wine and stood up carefully giving Hermione one last look before retiring to his room, leaving her all alone.


	5. A Sprinkle of Envy

"Harry Potter, the boy who lived come to die" Lord Voldemort's voice echoed around the forest. An electric green light burst from his wand and hit Harry square on in the chest.

He felt a wave of pain rushed through his body before he sat up startled in a cool shower of sweat, breathing heavily. Another nightmare.

"Harry?! What's wrong?"

It was Hermione, leaning over him with a panicked and worried expression etched across her face.

"N-nightmare" he breathed, staring deeply into her chocolate brown eyes. He slowed down his breathing and waited before his heart to stop racing before he managed to string a sentence together.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" he asked,

"Oh no! I've been awake for a while, watching the sun rise, it's very beautiful" she gazed in awe at the sun as it shone brightly through the slightly open curtains in the bedroom.

Harry sighed, waiting the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve.

"Ron told me you were having nightmares" she murmured after a while, Harry nodded not saying a word.

"Maybe we all should have gone away around Europe, you need to clear your head too" she suggested.

Harry silently agreed, travelling would distract him from his horrid thoughts. He knew that all of the deaths were his fault. He couldn't forget, he wouldn't allow himself to forget them. Not just people who died in the war, but everyone. His parents, Sirius, Dumbledore… People who had truly loved him.

Going with Hermione would also mean he could spend more time with her, perhaps reveal his feelings for her. Tell her that he thought she was wonderful, amazing and so beautiful.

But it was too late for any of that.

He had to move on. He just had too. If he let himself live in the past he would go insane.

"Haven't you got auror training today?" she wondered, standing up straight looking at the time. "You're going to be late and I think Ron's already gone"

Ron had left without him? He hadn't even bothered to attempt to wake him up. Harry felt hurt. They were supposed to be in this together, but now he was thinking maybe Ron wanted to be better than him. He wanted to beat him at one thing for the first time in his life. Deep down, Harry knew Ron had always been somewhat jealous of him but he never thought he would purposely leave him asleep, while he went and made a head start.

Harry jumped out of bed in a flash before realising he was naked… and Hermione was still in the room. _Fuck._

She screamed, covering her eyes with her hands and hurriedly made her way out of the room.

He was blushing furiously as he pulled on his Auror uniform and grabbed his wand shoving it into his pocket.

"See you later" he called to Hermione, not wanting to go in the living room after the encounter they just had. He then apparated straight to the Ministry in the Auror department.

"Morning Mr Potter" a young blonde receptionist voiced across the hall.

Harry put his hand up as acknowledgement, but had no time to stop. He was desperately trying to reach his training and find Ron to give him a good piece of his mind.

He was walking so quickly he almost tripped over his own two feet but used the wall to balance him before carrying on.

He arrived at his Auror training but he knew he was extremely late. Ron and a lanky dark haired man, who he believed was called Patrick Wood, swivelled round to peer at him.

Ron recoiled as he saw Harry's angered face.

"Ron, can I talk to you outside?" he snarled through gritted teeth.

Once outside the room and making sure no one was around, Harry exploded.

"Thanks for waking me up! You know I could get downgraded for this!" he shouted, Ron's ears going a bright shade of red like they always did when he was embarrassed.

"Not my fault..." he muttered,

"You're supposed to be my mate?!" he bellowed, "Why couldn't you do me a favour?"

"Well, I-" Ron began,

"No! I'll tell you why" Harry retorted "Because you're jealous, you always have been!"

Before Ron could say anything more, Harry turned around and strolled away. He couldn't believe he had just said that to Ron. His first true friend, the guy who had been there through thick and thin, (unless you exclude the few months he had left them during their Horcrux hunting.) He didn't need Ron though. All he needed was Hermione and that was precisely what he intended to get.

_A/N: Thanks so much for all your reviews! I really appreciate it._


	6. Unlocking the Heart

"Harry! How could you!" Hermione shouted angrily.

She was particularly peeved about the way he had treated Ron. For some reason, she always sided with him. This raged him thoroughly.

"It was his fault! He didn't wake me up" Harry returned,

"It's not Ron's fault you're an incompetent lazy bastard!" she yelled.

That hurt. Hermione's word rang through his ears, making his head hurt. It was as though she had just slapped him round the face that suddenly made him realised how harsh he had been. He knew she was right however much he hated himself for admitting it. Ron was his best friend after all.

"I didn't mean it" Harry grumbled finally, unable to look her in the face.

"Well tell that to Ron…He was crushed!" she continued to clamour.

Guilt rushed over Harry as he knew how seriously Ron took things. He allowed words to drill into his mind until he became so depressed, he truly believed them.

"I was just angry…" Harry said, hanging his head in shame as though he was a naughty child being told off.

Hermione let out a huge sigh "Well there was no need to take it out on Ron…"

Harry nodded, realising his mistake. But what he didn't understand is why he hadn't woken him up? Ron knew that Harry had had trouble sleeping since the war, and he'd woken him up countless times before, what had changed?

He fell back on the sofa defeated,

"Why do I always mess things up?" he asked glumly, "Seriously, things were just getting better. We were all getting along, starting new jobs and I had to go and screw it up as usual."

She sighed, obviously tired of being angry. She flopped down next to him.

"You just need to learn to control your anger" she said calmly, giving Harry a lopsided smile.

"Yeah, it looks like Voldemort's emotions really did rub off on me" he joked.

He expected her to wince at the sound of his name, but instead she nodded,

"Voldemort didn't have any real emotions, Harry. He was just a fucked up git" Hermione replied.

Harry was extremely taken aback by Hermione's strong use of language. He had never heard her swear or use Voldemort's name before. Weirdly, this attracted him to her even more. A smirk spread across his face as he gave Hermione a surprised look. Just then, she let out a small giggle that turned into a fit of laughter. Harry soon joined in with this, laughing hysterically until their eyes watered with tears. Hermione held her sides as she desperately tried to stop.

The thought that they were laughing and joking about Voldemort so slightly seemed weird to Harry. After years of people fearing his name, it was strange to be sat around laughing at him.

Soon their laughter died down and Harry and Hermione were left staring deeply into each other's eyes. The tension between them could have been sliced with a knife. Once again, Harry could see her natural beauty that made his insides fill with warmth. The way her nose crinkled up cutely when she smiled, how her caramel hair was placed perfectly against her rosy cheeks. He couldn't hold back any longer. He knew it was time for him to open up.

"Hermione" he breathed, still gazing into her large brown eyes, for a second he felt himself stumbling over his words again. But once he had stopped his mind from screaming not to, he whispered the three words he had been dying to utter. "I-I love you."

She giggled sweetly, giving her hair a girly flick "I know Harry, I am amazing"

But Harry's face remained solemn. Hermione gave him a confused expression as she suddenly understood that he hadn't meant it in the way she had first thought.

"No Hermione, I really mean it, I'm in love with you."

_A/N: His secret is finally out, yay! Hoped you liked it!_


	7. The Ins and Outs of Pain

Things between the three of them had been awkward for days.

Ron still hadn't forgiven Harry for his harsh outburst and Hermione; well she was doing her best to avoid Harry anyway possible. He found this quite painful. He had opened up to her, telling her his true feelings for her and she had simply nodded and walked away.

Maybe she was embarrassed? Or she didn't like him in this way?

Either way, he felt saddened.

He decided it was time to visit the Burrow, most of all Ginny. He had almost forgotten that they were still dating, because they hardly saw each other. He hadn't seen her since they had had dinner with the Weasleys almost three weeks ago. He felt it was time to break off their relationship before she found out about his strong feelings for Hermione.

The air was misty and moist when he apparated to outside the Burrow. The grass was covered in a thick layer of dew. It was winter after all and the scene was quite stunning.

Harry strolled towards the building, trying to think of ways he could break it off with Ginny nicely. He did care about her vaguely. She had supported him through the battle and shared his interest with Quidditch. Apart from that, he found her to be rather clingy.

He gave a hollow knock on the door and none other than the red-headed girl herself answered, dressed in a large over-sized purple jumper and grey joggers.

"Harry!" she shrieked, flinging her arms around his neck, "What's up?"

"Err… Well, I need to tell you something." He said quietly,

She dragged him eagerly inside, gripping his hand tightly.

"Let's come inside first"

Mrs Weasley was in the kitchen looking flushed, she using multiple charms to tidy the place.  
"Mum, guess who's here?" Ginny grinned,

Mrs Weasley whipped round, "Oh Harry! Sweetheart, it's good to see you!" she smiled with an especially jolly tone in her voice.

"Hi Mrs Weasley, how are you?" he asked, silently trying to unlatch Ginny from his hand.

"Just fine dear" she replied, "I'm extremely busy though" widening her eyes at Ginny before continuing to clean.

Ginny yanked his arm so roughly he thought it might rip out of its socket. She pulled him into the living room, but as she did Harry was walloped with huge surprise.

Ron was sat on the sofa with a huge plate of snacks on his lap, scoffing a biscuit. Typical.

Harry tensed as Ron peered round and met his eyes.

He stood up almost immediately,

"What's he doing here?!" he cried with a mouthful of biscuit. Ginny frowned,

"Don't talk with your mouth full, god" she said disgusted, "Anyway, Harry's here to visit me so stay out of our way"

Ron remained standing, shoulders rigid. He gave Harry the dirtiest look ever.

"Don't think I'm leaving you alone with that foul git" he retorted, throwing himself back down on the sofa.

Ginny groaned, "Just go, Harry wants to tell me something."

"And what would that be exactly?" he wondered in a sarcastic voice, "Maybe he's come to tell you that you're jealous of him and that you always have been."

Harry gulped guiltily. No matter how many times he had apologised to Ron, those words made him cringe.

"Ron!" Ginny shouted threateningly, glaring at him.

"No come on, anything Harry wants to say, he can say in front of me" Ron declared, shooting Harry a sinister look.

"Well…" He began, but after that he wasn't sure how to carry on. He had wanted to break up with Ginny privately, not with Ron in the room giving him a look that pierced through him like a sword. Also he didn't want to piss him off any more than he already had. But he knew had to tell Ginny the truth, she at least deserved that. He just wasn't sure how to word it.

"Ginny… I err… think we should b-break up" he stuttered quietly, hoping Ron wouldn't be able to hear. But evidently he had.

A large fist collided with the side of his face before he could say no more. Pain rushed through his skull, throbbing.

"HOW DARE YOU?!" He screamed, moving Ginny away from Harry who was gripping his face in pain, "YOU WILL NEVER FIND ANYONE THAT COMPARES TO MY SISTER!"

Ginny gave Ron an affectionate look but then stared at Harry in disbelief. He didn't bear to look at her. His head was still in agony, but nothing worse than what he had experienced before.

"I-I'm so sorry Gin" he explained, not meeting her lost gaze.

Ron was still fuming, his fist clenched, his breathing disjointed.

"Get out" he snarled, in the same voice he had possessed while he was angry at Ron.

Harry gave Ginny one more sorrowful look, her eyes were wide and full of tears that were about to fall. He felt as though he had just drop kicked a new born puppy. He turned quickly and exited the Burrow. He felt even more terrible than expected. But now he was free. Free to be with Hermione, allow their relationship to blossom. If she actually talked to him that is.


	8. Releasing the Core

"He really hit you?" Hermione whispered, delicately mending Harry's face with a healing spell. He nodded, his head was still pulsing, Ron could really throw a punch.

Harry flinched as he felt Hermione's cold hand touch his face where the nasty bruise had been.

"Gone" she breathed, her fingers still placed on his cheek.

"Thanks" he mumbled, before glancing up into her eyes. Harry had looked into her eyes many times now but that still didn't stop his heart from racing wildly.

After a few moments, Hermione realised her hand was still on Harry's face so she quickly whipped it away without looking too jumpy. She cleared her throat.

"Um, so Harry…" she began "About what you said the other day…"

Harry stared at her intensely, waiting for her to launch herself into his arms and declare her love for him. He knew that was highly unlikely, but deep in his mind those were the thoughts that dance through it.

"Did you really mean it?" she asked, moving her position so that her legs were facing him on the sofa.

Harry tried to get his thoughts together. Of course he meant it. He had taken all the strength within him to admit it to her so why would he lie to her?

"Yeah" he said simply, watching her as she blushed so furiously she could have given Ron a run for his money. She didn't look at him, but merely glowered out of their flat window deep in thought.

"And how long have you felt like this?" she questioned, still gazing outside.

Harry considered this. I didn't know the answer. He guessed he had truly fallen for her when she walked through the door after returning from her trip. But in his core, he knew that he had loved Hermione for much longer. He just hadn't realised it before.

"For a long time" he spoke with an uncertainty because he wasn't even sure in his own mind if this was true or not. He heard her exhale roughly as though realising the tension.

For what seemed like hours, neither one of them spoke. They unpretentiously watched as the orange sun dipped down between the hills. It was a beautiful sight.

Then unexpectedly Hermione entwined her cold fingers with Harry's warm ones. Her felt her coldness swim through his body like a cool breeze on a summers day.

Harry focused on their hands, interlocked. Her fingers were thin and slender while his were large and muscular. For the first time, Harry felt as though he was protecting Hermione, keeping her warm. He never wanted to let go.

"How do you feel?" Harry murmured sleepily.

"Pardon?" she wondered, creasing her forehead frowning.

"How do you feel about m-me?" the end of his sentence seem to fade as he was scared. Scared of what her answer may be, scared that she might tell him she doesn't want him.

Her next movements were astonishing.

She edged closely towards Harry so that their faces were a centimetre away, before pressing her tender lips against his. She was gentle and soon their lips were moving rhythmically between one another.

Harry reacted by cupping her face lightly, running his fingers through her soft, glorious hair. He had never experienced this kind of pure passion before and it overwhelmed him so wonderfully. His mind was completely fixed on her. Her eyes, her hair, her lips.

He had just begun to deepen their kiss before a familiar voice bellowed through the room.

Ron was standing in the doorway, extremely full of rage.

"What the fuck is this?!"

_A/N: Oh dear! They've been caught already! Thanks for the reviews, I will continue to post regularly, however as Christmas is approaching, the updates may slow down a bit. Hope you like it so far!_


	9. Betrayed

Ron was distraught.

"So, that's why you dumped Ginny, eh?" he growled at Harry, looking more furious that he could ever of imagined, "You broke my sister's heart so you could come back here and get in Hermione's bed."

Harry was unable to look Ron directly in the eyes; instead he kept his them glued to the floor.

"R-Ron, what are you d-doing here?" Hermione stuttered standing up slowly from the sofa, shocked at his sarcastic tone.

"I live here…" Ron said incredulously "Or had you forgot? Were you too busy snogging that pathetic bastard?"

Hermione flushed crimson,

"N-no, what I meant is… I thought you were staying at the Burrow?"

"Yeah, I came to collect the rest of my stuff, I'm moving out" he admitted bluntly.

"W-what?" Hermione's voice wobbled, "You c-can't…"

Harry glimpsed at Ron once he had announced this. He looked completely serious and absolutely disgusted at the both of them. He had just walked in on his best friends snogging; Harry couldn't blame him for being slightly peeved.

He never wanted to hurt Ron though. He been so caught up in his own feelings, it had simply slipped his mind that Ron had always had feelings for Hermione. They had even dated for a few weeks after the war but once Hermione went on her trip, they had mutually decided to break it off. But he always knew that Ron still cared for her deep down.

Ron paced angrily into his bedroom and started to cram everything he owned in to the first bag he found.

"Ron, don't do this…" Hermione pleaded, tears threatened to roll down her pink cheeks. She didn't want him to go; he was one of her best mates. She felt positively rotten for betraying him.

"I thought you guys were meant to be my friends?!" Ron shouted, flinging the bag full of his belongings over his muscular shoulder.

"W-we are…" Hermione whimpered as she began to cry, tears streaming.

"Ha. You went behind my back to snog that git" he declared,

"And you," he snarled edging closer to Harry, who had not said a word since he had entered the room, "I don't know why I was ever friends with you, You screamed at me for no reason, broke my sister's heart and then you snog Hermione less than an hour later. You're nothing more than a self-obsessed, lying, pathetic piece of scum." And with that Ron was gone. Apparated into thin air, his words however hung in the air leaving both Harry and Hermione perturbed.

For a few minutes, neither of them said a word, still shocked at Ron's immediate disappearance. All that could be heard was Hermione's sniffling as she desperately tried to dry her eyes.

She was silently crying as she shuffled into her own bedroom and shut the door effortlessly. Harry could hear her burst into a painful cry, once she was in there. A cry that broke his heart and made him want to comfort her but he knew that would only make things worse.

Harry felt numb. He had just lost his best friend in the whole entire world. But was it worth it?

He wasn't sure.

Yes, he finally got to have a relationship with Hermione, but it meant that he had chosen romance over his friendship. Hermione over Ron. He was utterly torn.

He couldn't handle it anymore. If he stayed there a second longer, listening to Hermione's broken wails, thinking of how he betrayed Ron, he would break down. So he disappeared to the first place he could think of. A place that would allow him to forget Ron and Hermione, however it wasn't a place that brought him a significant amount of joy either. He decided to go to Godric's Hollow.

_A/N: Aww! Poor Ron… Once again, thanks so much for the reviews!_


	10. An Old Enemy

Harry had forgotten about how beautiful Godric's Hollow was, especially at winter. The houses surrounding it seemed as if they belonged on a Christmas card. The cobbled road glistened in the moonlight and the trees were bombarded with sparkling Christmas lights.

He hadn't been there since his unforgettable trip with Hermione, when they had encountered Nagini. A night he would not be able to remove from his mind for a long while as it frequently played a part in his nightmares.

As he strolled between the houses, he soon noticed the graveyard once more and debated thoroughly if he should go in or not. He was feeling awful enough already; he wasn't sure if seeing his parent's grave would help his depressed mood. But he knew that if he didn't visit them, he would regret it.

He strolled carefully into the graveyard and quickly made his way over to their grave. He knew its exact location; he had not allowed himself to forget. As expected his heart dropped into his stomach.

_In loving memory of:_

_James Potter + Lily Potter_

_Died 31__st__ October 1981._

_The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death._

His eyes stung with hot tears. It was at that moment that Harry missed his parents more than ever. He wanted to hug them, talk to them, and share with them all this problems. The pain that he couldn't do this meant that his tears began to drip softly down his face. He wanted them to tell him that he was a good person and that it wasn't his fault that his best friend now hated him. Of course Harry knew it was completely and utterly his fault.

Why had he come here?

He had wanted to cheer himself up, not cause himself more pain that before.

He wiped his wet eyes on his jumper and tore his eyes away from the gravestone. As he did, his gaze was met with a dark silhouette of a man. He was tall but Harry couldn't make his face that was until the person strolled forward from the shadows. A person he knew all too well. Fenrir Greyback.

The most savage werewolf ever to live and known Death eater. He had fought in the war, destroying anyone who stood in his way. He was also the one that turned Professor Lupin into a werewolf.

The death eaters had not given up after the war; in fact they were even more determined to kill Harry after he had defeated their precious Dark Lord. How could he have been so stupid as to forget this? Had he not learnt anything?

Harry froze.

"Well, well, well… look who it is" Greyback growled, smirking at Harry's worried expression, "Harry Potter. Conqueror of the Dark Lord…" the smirk grew on his dog like face.

Harry merely stared at him, desperately trying to look calm; he would let Greyback intimidate him.

"What do you want Greyback?" he spat, not taking his eyes of him.

Greyback laughed menacingly. Then before Harry could say anything, he jumped forward and latched his hand against Harry's throat, pinning him up against a nearby tree.

"I want you… dead." He breathed; face crazed as his hand tightened round Harry's neck, "How would it feel, if I was the person who defeated Harry Potter, the boy who lived!" he shrieked.

As Greyback's grip closed in on his throat, Harry reached for his wand, however unable to breathe properly let alone cast a spell, Harry knew he was doomed.

He struggled fiercely to be released from Greyback's grasp. But it was hopeless. He was fierce and a lot stronger than Harry.

He thought of Hermione and Ron as the oxygen drained from him. He thought of a time when they were happy and laughing, the best of friends. Those were the days that he missed immensely. The days he wished he turn back time and relive. The days that would never happen again, now he was about to die.

Suddenly a bright, red flash erupted from nowhere,

"Reducto!" Harry heard someone shout.

Greyback flew backwards with a yelp and crashed hard into a stone wall leaving him out cold with blood trickling down his forehead.

As he fell to the ground, Harry gasped as oxygen filled his lungs once again; he clutched his throat which hurt like crazy because of how tightly it had been gripped. He glanced around frantically to see who had cast the spell that had just saved his life.

It was not long until his savior revealed themselves, as none other than Ginny Weasley appeared from the bushes…

_A/N: Ooh! A twist. I added Greyback in to remind you all that this is still Harry Potter and not some soppy love story! Hope you enjoyed!_


	11. No Spark

"How did you know where I was?" Harry queried Ginny once they had found a lovely, warm on the edge of town. They had just sat down and ordered a Butterbeer each.

"Hermione owled me and said you had disappeared" she explained, her voice had a dullness about it as she was mostly likely still hurt about the fact he had broken up with her.

"I remembered after the war, you always talked about coming back here, so I gave it a shot and guessed you were here…"

Harry found it weird how Ginny remembered that. Such small details about him, she still thought about.

"So why did you come find me?" He asked, very confused yet grateful that she had.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay… Good job I did…" she mumbled.

Harry's forehead creased with bewilderment.

He had broken her heart and totally pissed off her brother yet she still cared about his wellbeing. It didn't make sense.

"But why?" he questioned, "I thought you would still be angry at me."

Ginny gave him an almost painful looked as though she was embarrassed and she blushed furiously which immediately reminded him of Ron.

"I was angry, but I… well… I still love you" she said simply.

Those words. Those three little words caused his head to spin. Even though, he had been a huge dick to Ron and carelessly broken off their relationship, she still had strong feelings for him. He was totally caught off guard and utterly speechless.

After minutes of silence, he sighed deeply trying to get his head around the idea.

Did he love her?

Harry wasn't sure that he had ever truly loved Ginny. I mean they had dated for a while before and after the war but it was meaningless… to Harry anyway. It was just a pretty relationship really valued. He thought of her as a good friend. He guessed after years of her ogling him, he finally decided to give her a chance. He wouldn't call that love.

Love is what he felt for Hermione.

He didn't know how to reply to Ginny's meaningful words, so he sat staring at her for a while before running his fingers through his black messy hair and taking a huge breath,

"Thank you for saving me" he said firmly, unable to glance at her hoping expression.

Then he gulped down the reminder of his Butterbeer and stood up.

"Where are you going?" she frowned,

"Home, I guess" Harry shrugged.  
He didn't want to go home though; he didn't want to see Hermione crying again. He didn't want to hear her sobs as she thought about how much she had hurt Ron.

Ginny hauled herself up after Harry and to his utter shock, magical mistletoe grew out of nowhere above their heads. He didn't know why it had happened but he didn't like where it was going.

Ginny glanced and smiled softly, giving Harry a willing look as though waiting for him to kiss her.

He didn't want to.

However, he didn't want to reject her harshly, so eventually decided to do the gentlemanly thing and bent down and gave her a small peck on the lips. There was no spark, not like his kiss with Hermione. That kiss was full of passion and romance; this kiss was merely filled with awkwardness.

"I'll see you around then Gin" he smiled weakly at her. She was gawking at him sweetly, her cheeks a bright shade of pink.

He then briskly made his out of the pub and apparated back to the flat.

He found Hermione curled up on the sofa, her knees to her chest, cradling herself. She swiftly looked up as he snapped in. Her eyes were puffy and red from all the crying.

"Oh Harry, I've been worried! Where the hell was you?" she asked, "I even owled Ginny to see if you were with her…"

"Ginny and I broke up, remember?" he said,

He desperately wanted to spill everything about Greyback and Ginny but for some reason decided against it,

"I just needed a walk" he murmured, strolling over and plonking himself next to her.

"I wonder if Ron's okay…" she said, her voice trailing off. He saw her eyes water slightly, "We really hurt him Harry."

He knew this was true. He knew that it would take a while for Ron to forgive them, most of all him.

He moved in closer to Hermione and slowly wrapped an arm around her, before gently kissing her soft forehead.

"Don't worry" he whispered, "Everything's going to be alright."


	12. Discarded Innocence

Things didn't get better; in fact it was as if Ron detested them even more.

He always gave Harry cold glances as they crossed paths while at their auror training. He missed his friend, he missed be able to talk to him and have a laugh with him. Would Ron ever forgive him?

Harry and Hermione had allowed their relationship to blossom over the next few weeks. They went out on romantic dates in fancy, expensive restaurants and was always sighted strolling along Diagon Alley together. However they got a lot of surprised stares.

Both of them became majorly popular after the war and to see them walking along hand in hand was quite shocking for some. This wasn't a big deal for Harry; he had been famous since the moment in left the womb. He was used to the stares and gawps and people eyes widening when they noticed his scar, Hermione on the other hand found it difficult to cope with the strange looks. Their relationship had been in the media too, but people seemed a little too interested in their new partnership.

Even his boss was questioning him about it.

"Mr Potter," Lorpin said, "I can't help noticing you have been featured a lot in the Daily Prophet recently, with a Miss Granger…"

Harry found it weird that his boss seemed so intrigued by his love life. He had always remained professional but maybe Lorpin just wanted to be included in the gossip.

"Um, that's right sir" Harry muttered, scratching the back of his neck.

"Well, you're very lucky, she's a real beauty" he admitted before giving him a thumbs up and strolling off.

Harry was utterly confused and quite disturbed by this. Lorpin had to be at least thirty, whereas Hermione was only eighteen.

Harry had had a hard day at Auror training, he was so glad he had almost completed the course and was well on his way to becoming a fully trained auror. Once he finally finished the days training he returned back to the flat, it appeared to be empty at first that was until he heard the sweet voice of Hermione.

"I'm in the bath, Harry!" she called.

As soon as she had said this, he could think of nothing than Hermione in the bath. Her long hair flowing gently on the water, her wet, voluptuous body… glistening and slippery. Woah, he had to stop himself before things went too far in his mind. But he couldn't help it.

The things he thought about Hermione were things he had never thought about anyone else and he just knew he had to do something about these "urges".

Hermione emerged from the bathroom dressed in a silky lilac dressing gown and her hair in a loose damp bun. She looked beautiful as ever.

Harry couldn't resist any longer.

He nearly ran towards her and embraced her in an extremely passionate kiss. Of course, she reacted instantly, running her fingers through his black messy hair. He loved the way her fingers laced through his locks, the way she smelt like fresh flowers on a spring morning. It was pure heaven.

Their kiss didn't end like it always did, with blushed faces and geeky smiles. Instead things progressed rather quickly.

Hermione jumped up, wrapping her legs round Harry's waist. He was surprised at how light she was, even though she looked so curvy. He ran his hand up and down her hips then on her back.

He then carried her quickly to the bedroom, still deep within the luxurious kissing.

Harry almost threw her down on the bed with such eagerness. He had always been very impatient and right now was a prime example.

He tore off her dressing gown to find her utterly naked.

Harry paused for a moment, examining her body. It was perfectly curved and her skin was sun kissed. He had never seen a woman naked before, Hermione's was the most stunning thing he had ever laid eyes upon. She blushed as Harry bit his lip in excitement.

And then it happened. Bitter sweet magic that Harry had wondered about for so long and their innocence was all but forgotten…

_A/N: *Gasp* Can you believe it? By the way, I haven't planned this story out at all, so I don't know how long it's going to end up being, but I hope you guys are enjoying it and keep with it until the end! Thanks for the reviews._


	13. This War Isn't Over

Harry opened his eyes and found himself moulded to Hermione. His arm slung carelessly over her delicate body as she breathed sweetly.

Last night was one of the best of his life. What he felt for Hermione was indescribable and at this point in his life, he couldn't be happier.

Suddenly it dawned on him. He had woken up without having an awful nightmare. He had woken up blissfully and with no sign of Voldemort's evil face anywhere.

Maybe he was finally free, he could move on from the pain of the war because he was truly happy now. No longer did he mope and ponder over what could have been.

Harry's mood soared and as he rolled over on his back, breathing deeply, he embraced his joy.

Just then, he felt Hermione stir. She sighed roughly, before lifting herself out of the bed without saying a word.

"Where are you going?" he asked, ruffling his messy hair.

Again, she remained quiet and pulled on her dressing gown, then made her way to the bathroom.  
"Hermione?" he called, frowning.

He pulled his own weight out of the bed and halted at the bathroom door.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" He asked again, quite worried.

"N-nothing" she replied, however her voice seem to break as though she was crying.

Harry was confused, what was wrong with her? Was it something he had done?

After nearly twenty minutes, Hermione appeared from the bathroom with tear stained eyes.

Harry looked into them, trying to figure out what she was thinking. They looked sad and misty.

"I c-can't" she whimpered.

"Can't what?" He was almost scared because of Hermione's sudden outburst of sadness.

"Us…" she mumbled under her tears.

What did she mean? Harry felt his heart pump rapidly… What was she trying to say?

He desperately tried to calm her, but his attempts simply made her more frantic.

"I'm sorry Harry…" She whispered. Sorry? What was she sorry for?

He was so confused, but deep down he had an idea of what she was uttering, but he didn't want to believe it.

"What do you mean?" he breathed,

"Last n-night, it was a m-mistake… I d-don't-" she stopped before crumbling into tears once more.

If words could kill, Harry would be in his grave being lowered into the ground by now. He felt his heart crack so painfully; he had to stop himself from wincing. So many questions rushed through his mind, but all he could do was stare at her.

He was crushed. He loved her. He had given her his love, his virginity, his heart. And she didn't want it. She didn't love him.

His eyes almost welled with tears but he would not allow himself to cry.

How could he have gone from being so wonderfully happy, too hopeless and completely heartbroken? It just didn't make sense.

"It wasn't a mistake, you don't mean that…" he exclaimed after many moments of agonising silence. Hermione glance up at him, her eyes red and puffy. Her face was full of sorrow.

"We rushed in to it…" she sniffed, shaking her head.

"No, we didn't… Hermione, I-"

She put her hand up for him to stop talking, she looked so utterly depressed.

"Don't Harry…" she sighed, "I've got to go…"

Before Harry could ask her where she planned on going, or why the sudden change of heart, she was gone in a blur, leaving Harry alone and cold standing in his boxers.

He had lost. Lost everything he could ever imagine.

His parents, his godfather, his best friend and now Hermione.

Why did everyone he cared about leave him? Why did things have to be so complicated?

Harry's mind ached and his heart throbbed. He felt so saddened; it was as though he was back in the war, ready to face Voldemort.

He didn't want to give up, he couldn't. He planned to get Hermione and Ron back. He needed too. This war isn't over.


	14. Change is Approaching

The following weeks seem to drone on and on. Harry had finally become a fully trained Auror and had already been on a few exciting assignments. Easy ones though, silly little wannabe death eaters who cowered at the sight of him. He strangely enjoyed watching their faces when they thought he was going to kill him.

Ron had also made his way to being an Auror. Harry tried to smile at him as a way to say 'well done' but was thrown a dull look as though he wasn't completely invisible.

He hadn't spoken to Hermione two weeks, but he had heard news that she was staying at the Burrow. This made his insides twist at the fact she had run back to Ron. He didn't know if they were back together or not, but they certainly seemed to have patched things up.

Harry had seen them together, sitting peacefully in a café down Diagon Alley sipping coffees without a care in the world.

He however was alone. Every day he went back to their flat to find it empty. Harry wondered how he had got this point. Where his friends didn't really care about him, they didn't want to speak to him or even look at him… But had he actually done everything wrong?

Sure, he had hurt Ron by shouting at him, but he had apologised. And he had heartlessly broken up with Ginny right in front of him, but it wasn't his fault that he didn't love her. And Hermione, well he hadn't done anything but love her, yet she seem to not want anything to do with him anymore.

Well he had had enough.

He apparated to the Burrow straight after work and intended to get things straight with them all.

He knocked on the door firmly and Mrs Weasley opened it, a huge smile painted across her face.

"Harry! Sweetheart! How lovely it is to see you" she grinned, hugging him gently.

He beamed, "Hey Mrs Weasley, it's great to see you… are they in?"

She gave him a troubled look, "They told me about what happened…"

He sighed and explained to her that he wanted to make things right, so she welcomed him inside.

To his dismay, he found them all gathered in the front room. Ginny, Ron and Hermione. Facing all of them at once wasn't what he had planned, but it didn't matter.

As he entered, every face turned to look at him swiftly.

Hermione was first to speak, "Harry…" she began in a gentle tone. He stopped her.

"Let me speak" he started, holding his hand up, "I'm sorry okay? I'm sorry for everything I've done"

He turned to Ron who looked rather shocked at his sudden decision to make some sort of speech.

"Ron, I didn't mean to angry with you… maybe I was just angry at myself and you were the only one I could blame, it wasn't your fault and I should have never said all of those things, I've always had trouble with controlling my anger though, right?" Harry smirked.

He then swivelled around to Ginny, who looked quite overwhelmed with Harry's apologies.

"Ginny, I am sorry. You know I am… I will always care about you, but I didn't feel our relationship was going anywhere. You need to find someone who loves you the way you deserve because… you're just amazing."

Ginny blushed and Harry could see the tears fill her eyes, tears of happiness and understanding which comforted him and made him feel stronger.

Then he looked down at Hermione. She gave him a sorrowful look before smiling weakly at him.

"Hermione… I'm honestly not sure what I did to you. I showed my true feelings for you and you left. I've realised the most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said or explained. I haven't stop thinking about you; you're my best friend and I-"

At that moment Hermione stood up and giggled softly. "Oh Harry…" she breathed "I'm the one who should be apologising, I'm sorry I left without a real explanation, I'm sorry I got overwhelmed with so many emotions and I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk to you for these past weeks… but there's something I need to tell you."

Harry tensed. What was she about to say? That she loved him or that she only thought of him as a friend? But no, Hermione's next words made Harry's heart drop into his stomach.

"Harry… I'm pregnant…"


	15. Forgiveness

"I don't understand…" Harry muttered shaking his head as they stood in the kitchen of the Burrow. "We u-used a protection spell…" his voice trailed off as he tried to comprehend this information. He was going to be a father? He was only eighteen… This wasn't what he had planned.

"Maybe, we didn't the spell probably… we were a bit caught up in the moment" Hermione explained, turning crimson in the face when she thought back to that day.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did you run from me? Why?" Harry asked, giving her a stern look.

She looked sad, "I'm really sorry Harry, I just got so overwhelmed… It was a new step in our relationship… A step I wasn't ready to take" she mumbled, her tears filling with fresh tears.

"You didn't seem to complain before" he replied bluntly.

Her face turned so red, he thought it might explode. "As I said, we were caught up in the moment" she whispered, "But Harry, I've thought about nothing else for the past weeks and… I don't regret it. It wasn't a mistake…" She took his hand and placed it gently on her warm stomach, "This baby isn't a mistake."

Harry gazed deeply into her chocolate eyes that he had dearly missed, his hand did not move from her stomach.

His mind began to spin out of control; he didn't know what to say. She did care about him. She did want him. She did want his baby and Harry agreed that so did he. He couldn't wish for anyone else to give birth to his child. But she had left him brutally and harshly, he didn't deserve that.

So many conflicting emotions were making his head physically hurt.

"I'm going for a walk" he announced, removing his hand from her stomach and exiting from the back door of the kitchen.

As he stepped outside, he took a large breath trying to clear his busy mind and shoved his hands in his pockets, then began to stroll through the fields that surrounded the Burrow.

He halted at a large lake that shimmered in the sunlight and stared aimlessly at his reflection.

Was he ready to be a father? He hadn't planned on becoming one until he was at least twenty five, but he realised that life has a way of changing things. You have to take the cards it deals out to you and Harry accepted this.

"Alright?"

Harry removed himself from his thoughts and whipped round. It was Ron.

"Yeah" he said simply, although he wasn't sure this was true, Ron stood beside him at the edge of the lake looking somewhat lost.

"A dad, eh?" he said uncomfortably.

He knew Ron wasn't pleased with the fact Hermione was pregnant with his child but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Hmm" Harry mumbled, kicking a few rocks in the water and watching as they sunk deeper.

"Sorry" he said finally, not looking at him but glowering over the fields as the wind brushed through his ginger hair.

"Sorry for what?" Harry replied puzzled,

"Well you know… I err… overreacted, I should never have punched you" he admitted.

Harry let a small smile appear on his face.

"It's okay, it was a good punch though" he smirked, glancing over at Ron who was almost smiling delightfully.

Then they both turned and embraced each other in a brotherly hug. Ron was basically like family to him and he was glad that they were best friends again.

"Ron…" he grinned, after pulling away from the hug, "I want you to be godfather… to this baby I mean"

Ron's eyebrows rose into his forehead, "Wow, are you sure?" he questioned.

"Of course!" Harry beamed, "You're my best friend"

"Sure, I'd love to" he admitted, looking completely startled.

And as they both stood at the rim of the lake, hands in pockets and grinning like a pair of idiots. Harry couldn't have felt more wonderfully happy. He had got his friends back. His two best friends that meant more to him than anything. However he knew that would soon change, this baby, _his_ baby was about to turn his life upside down and Harry couldn't be more excited.

_A/N: Aww! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks so much for all your reviews._


	16. A Life of Bliss

The trio had moved back into their flat. Harry, Ron and a pregnant Hermione. It was an amazing feeling to be friends again. Harry felt as though they had all learnt something about each other's personalities.

They now understood Harry's overpowering anger that he can't control when he's mad. They had learnt to cope with Ron's over reacting because of silly little arguments. And they had realised how deeply emotional Hermione really was, especially now she was pregnant.

They had all helped clearing out Hermione's room in order for it to become a nursery for the baby.

"I think yellow…" Ron suggested, as they decided what colour to paint the room. They did not want to use magic; they wanted to do it properly, by themselves.

"Or maybe pale green" Harry wondered.

"Yes, I think green… to match your eyes" Hermione smiled, "I wonder if the baby will have green eyes…"

Harry couldn't imagine what their child what look like. Perhaps it would have chocolate brown eyes like Hermione or scruffy black hair like him. It didn't really mater though; all he knew was that it was going to be beautiful and he already loved the baby unconditionally.

"Have you thought of any names?" Ron asked as he began searching through a wide range of paints that they had brought from Diagon Alley.

"Maybe" Hermione teased.

In fact they had thought of two beautiful names, but they were reluctant to tell anyone until the baby was born, not even Ron.

"I think Ronald Junior would be good" he joked, Hermione shot him a playful look, her hands on her hips,

"If you think I'm calling my child Ron Junior, then you're crazy!" she laughed.

Soon they began to paint the walls a pastel green colour, perfect for their baby. It was extremely calming and peaceful.

"What's wrong with Ronald Junior" Ron queried after a while.

"Everything" Hermione sniggered.

"Hey!" he said, before putting paint of his finger and dotting it on the tip of her nose.

"Ronald Weasley!" she gasped, before returning the gesture. Harry merely chuckled at his best friends.

"What are you laughing at?" Hermione smirked, getting more paint of her finger and smearing it onto his cheek.

Harry laughed thoroughly, as did Ron and soon they were all snorting with laughter, tears streaming down their paint covered faces.

Once they had ceased laughing, they slumped on the floor together. Their sides were aching and they desperately tried to regain their breaths.

At that moment, Harry couldn't think of any possible way he could be any happier. His life was wonderful.

He had never expected this was where his life would be. He had a great home, an amazing job, fantastic friends and now a gorgeous baby on the way.

He sighed heavily as they sat on the floor together.

"I'll have to move out soon…" Ron declared. Both Harry and Hermione glanced round at him with confused expressions.

"Why?!" they said simultaneously.

"Well you guys will be one, big happy family… and I'll just be in the way" he groaned.

"Ron mate, you don't have to move out, you are our family" Harry said firmly.

"Yeah… You're Uncle Ron!" Hermione giggled, "And you can live here as long as you want."

Ron stared at them in disbelief as though he expected that they would kick him out when the baby arrived.

"Thanks guys" he smiled, before flopping down on the floor.

Harry and Hermione followed this action and as all three of them sprawled across the floor. Harry looked up and grinned to himself.

He felt so excited and full of a warm glow that he hadn't felt for a while. Nothing, absolutely _nothing_ would ever be able to ruin his mood… Or so he thought…

_A/N: I thought this was quite a cute chapter! Thanks for the reviews._


	17. We Meet Again

As the months passed, Harry worked continuously hard to earn extra Galleons so that he could support his growing family. Even Ron was doing over time to try and help which Harry greatly appreciated.

Hermione was just about to go on maternity leave and things were coming along nicely.

Harry stared aimlessly at a photo of his parents that he kept close on his office desk. There was a dull ache when he thought about how they would never get to see their grandchild. Never get to hold him or her in their arms and look down with pride.

But soon Harry was torn from his thoughts as the panicked shout of Mr Lorpin cried out.

"Potter! Come quick!" He shouted, bursting into his office, "They've broken in, the whole ministry is under threat!"

Instantly Harry knew who he was talking about. Deatheaters.

Harry jumped to his feet and began sprinting to the main entrance of the Ministry. To his utter horror, it was chaos. Spells flying from every direction, people screaming and running in fear, some bodies were already sprawled on the floor.

He immediately whipped out his wand and screamed spells at any Deatheaters he spotted. His heart was pumping furiously; he hadn't felt adrenaline such as this since the final battle.

As more people were hit by their ruthless spells, Harry started to feel increasingly worried. Were they dead? Or just seriously injured?

These were his colleagues, his friends.

Suddenly his mind turned to Ron and Hermione. Where were they? Were they okay?

He desperately tried searching through the crowd for them, dodging spells as he did.

Abruptly, the sound died down and Harry was left to stare in the face of none other than Fenrir Greyback. His heart dropped as he saw who he had his arms clutched around. Hermione…

"Ah! Harry Potter…" he grinned menacingly, "We meet again…"

Harry's eyes did not move from Hermione's frightened expression, as Greyback had his hand across her mouth preventing her from screaming.

"Let her go Greyback." He snarled, wand pointing directly at him.

"And why would I do that?" he barked, "No… no… I think it's time you learnt your lesson… You may have gotten away from me last time… But I will teach you that no one goes unpunished…"

The grasp around Hermione tightened and she let out a scared whimper.

Harry gripped his wand firmly, sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Or maybe… you could just hand yourself over now… To save your precious little mudblood" He growled, moving his fingers over Hermione's face.

"Spectrum Sempra!"

Greyback released his grip and tumbled to the ground. Hermione dropped to the floor also, landing roughly on her stomach, smashing her head against the marble floor in the process.

Harry cried out as he feared for the baby that was being crushed underneath Hermione's limp body.

"Hermione!"

Ron had cast the spell and was stood looking triumphant for a second, before multiple spells shot towards him from the remaining Deatheaters.

Ron, unable to take on all the spells, was sent flying and hit the wall roughly, knocking him out.

Harry was on his own.

He instantly began shouting spells at the Deatheaters that surrounded him. He blocked most of the blows before one crashed into his chest, causing him to drop to the floor and his wand to roll away from him.

This was it… Harry knew that there was no escaping this time. Ginny was not here to save him. No one was… But he was mistaken.

A bright white light shone from behind him and all of the remaining Deatheaters fell to a heap on the floor. Harry moved his head painfully to see who his saviour was this time. Nothing prepared him for the surprise of who was standing there.

A blonde wizard who had been his enemy throughout his school years strolled towards him and crouched down with a fearful expression etched on his face.

"Malfoy?" Harry spoke in a puzzled tone before falling into an overwhelming darkness…

_A/N: Bet you weren't expecting that!? Happy Christmas Eve! I won't be posting tomorrow, so you'll find out what happens on Boxing Day! Hope you enjoyed…_


	18. Beauty Of all Sizes

Harry opened his eyes blearily to find himself in a hospital ward. His whole body ached and his head was throbbing.

His mind instantly thought of Ron and Hermione and his baby.

Where were they? Were they okay?

He glanced around the ward; however they were nowhere to be seen. Only a few Healers darting around to other patients. One of them healers rushed over to him quickly as they saw him stirring.

"Mr Potter, how are you feeling?" she asked tentatively, examining his body.

"Fine…" he grumbled, "Where's Ron and Hermione?"

The Healer gave him a worried look that made his heart beat rapidly, "They're alright, aren't they? Tell me they're okay…"

"Mr Weasley is completely fine, just a nasty bump on the head and Miss Granger is doing well… however there are a few… err… complications involving-"

Harry bolted up so quickly, a wave of sharp pain rushed over him making him wince,

"The baby… TELL ME MY BABY IS OKAY!" he shouted, angered that he was not able to move without a lot of pain.

The healer hesitated before speaking again, "Miss Granger had a placental abruption due to her fall… The b-baby had to be delivered immediately…"

Harry's throat bubbled as he held back the tears of fear, sadness and anger. He had missed his first child's birth? Was the baby okay? He intended to find out and soon.

He jumped out of the bed, ignoring the agonizing pain that flooded over his entire body.

"What room is she in? WHERE IS MY BABY?" he cried at the frightened Healer.

"R-room 3, out the corridor and to the left" she stuttered.

Harry ran as fast as his pained, frail body could carry him. He didn't care about the pain though, all he cared about was seeing if his baby were okay. It had to be okay. If something had happened to his child, he would blame himself.

Harry burst into the room to find Hermione looking utterly drained and pale slumped in a hospital bed, beside her was their baby enclosed in an incubator with many tubes going into it.

He stopped so abruptly as the emotion that hit him made him go weak at the knees.

"Hi…" Hermione whispered her voice was raspy and soft, "Come and see her…"

_Her. _He had a daughter. A beautiful little girl.

He edged forward so slowly, apprehensive and extremely scared. He didn't think his heart could take seeing his little girl with so many tubes coming in to her small body.

As he reached the bedside, he gazed down at her. His daughter.

She was more beautiful than he could ever have imagined, but she was so, so tiny. She was three months early after all. Harry watched as her fragile chest moved up and down as she breathed.

Warm tears began to roll heavily down his cheeks.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Hermione breathed, not taking her eyes of him.

Harry nodded but did not manage to reply. His heart was so overwhelmed with pure happiness, but so much sadness.

"I-is she going t-to be okay…" Harry asked after moments of staring at her.

"She's very weak, but they said that she'll be fine" Hermione smiled weakly, as she joined Harry in gazing at their gorgeous baby girl.

"And what about you… are you okay?" he asked Hermione as he eyed her weary face.

Hermione nodded gently, "I'm so tired…"

"Get some rest" he said firmly, "I'll be right here…"

Just then, there was a knock on the door and Ron peaked around. His head was bandaged.

"Can I come in?" he murmured.

Harry nodded, not moving his eyes from his daughter.

Ron shuffled in and sat down besides where Harry was stood, he peered at their baby.

"Wow…" he beamed, "She's lovely, congratulations mate"

"Cheers…" Harry replied, engorged with pride.

"So, you gonna tell me her name?" Ron wondered hopefully.

He had been dying for them to give him hints for months and Harry let out a soft chuckle as he glanced at how eager Ron seemed.

Harry then looked up at Hermione whose eyes were only just open, she nodded in approval for him to tell Ron.

"Okay, Ron… Meet Lily Amelia Potter…"

_A/N: I hope you liked the name of their baby! Thanks for all your reviews and hope you had a wonderful Christmas!_


	19. He was a Father

"Thanks" Harry muttered, as he sat face to face with Draco Malfoy. He had taken him a few weeks to muster up the courage and swallow his pride to come and thank him for saving his life, it made Harry's insides twist. He strongly disliked Malfoy even though he had really changed after the war. He may not be a Deatheater anymore but he was still a git.

He nodded politely, "We're even now"

Harry's forehead creased as he didn't have a clue of what he was on about, "What?"

Malfoy sighed in annoyance, "You saved my life… in the room of requirements remember?"

Memories of him flying through the fire on his broom rushed back through Harry's mind. The moment he reached down and pulled Malfoy from the hot flames. He certainly remembered.

"Now that we're even, I never have to see your face again Potter, I owe you nothing." Malfoy drawled, before getting up from his desk and beckoning Harry out of his office.

"Right… Well… Thanks" Harry said, exiting through the door.

The encounter with this old enemy left Harry quite bewildered but he managed to apparated from the Ministry and back to St Mungos, where Hermione and Lily were still staying. The Healers insisted they stay until they are completely sure everything is alright. The tubes had been taken out of Lily three days after she was born and she had grown considerably over the past weeks. She seemed so much healthier.

As he strolled into the room where were staying in, Harry was surprised to find Hermione dressed in her usual clothing, carrying Lily who was wrapped up in a huge blanket in her arms.

"Guess what?" She grinned, "We're coming home!"

"That's brilliant!" Harry exclaimed, walking over and giving Lily a soft kiss on the forehead. Her emerald green eyes gazed up at him, making his heart melt. He couldn't believe she had _his_ eyes.

"Yeah, Ron's just getting a car for us to travel home in" Hermione announced,

"A car?" Harry wondered,

"Well yes… Lily can't go on a side along apparation; you know how much it makes you feel sick"

Harry nodded in agreement. He had to more considerate in the future. He had to put Lily's needs first. Even though apparating would be much quicker and easier, Harry knew that taking a car would be better for his daughter.

The car journey was long and extremely boring. Ron drove as he had experience with driving cars due the magic blue one they had ridden in second year.

Harry was full of excitement as they reached the flat. He and Ron had finished the nursery while Hermione was in the hospital. They had filled it with new toys, clothes and everything a baby would need. Everything had to be perfect for his little girl.

"Close your eyes…" he whispered to Hermione as they stood outside the nursery door.

"Harry, wha-"

"Just do it" he laughed, looking down at Lily who was cradled in her arms.

He watched her close her eyes before he opened the door slowly to reveal the luxurious room for Lily.

There were toys piled around the room, some that moved and whizzed around, he had even enchanted toy stars to make them twinkle and hung them from the ceiling.

"Oh… Harry…" Hermione breathed, opening her eyes, "It's wonderful." She strolled it and glanced round in awe.

"You really like it? Ron helped and I just-"

She cut him off by kissing him gently on the lips. Harry's whole body relaxed in her embrace and his mind wondered off.

They were a family now. A real family. He was determined to be an amazing dad and would always be there for Lily. He wanted to be the parent he had never had.

He knew that he and Hermione would be great parents and he knew Ron would be a good godfather, just like Sirius had been to him.

As he pulled apart from the kiss, both he and Hermione were grinning like crazy. Ron cleared his throat to make himself known in the doorway.

"Do you like it Hermione?" he asked, gesturing around the room.

"It's amazing, I couldn't be happier. Thank you so much you two." She smiled.

And as the three of them stood in the nursery, Harry gazed down at their newest addition. His beautiful daughter. She was the beginning of a new era. He was no longer Harry Potter the boy who lived; he was Harry Potter; a friend, a lover and most of all… a father.

_A/N: There will be an epilogue and then that will be the end! Thanks for the reviews!_


	20. Epilogue

**One year later…**

"Have you invited Ginny and Dean?" Hermione asked frantically.

"Yes!" Harry replied firmly, "Look, Mione' stop worrying, everything will be great." He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder to try and calm her.

"I know… I just don't want to forget anything… This is Lily's first birthday." She explained.

"Well just calm down" he laughed.

They had moved into a small house a few months after Lily was born and it was now decorated with pink balloons and glistening streamers ready for Lily's birthday. Harry couldn't believe how fast a year had gone by. His daughter was growing so quickly, it scared him.

The guests arrived, Ron and his girlfriend Amanda were first to arrive. Ron had been quick to move on after Lily was born and had been dating her for 10 months now.

Then Ginny and Dean Thomas arrived, the first thing Harry noticed when she strolled in was a silver engagement ring around Ginny's finger.

"Getting married then?" he grinned at her.

Her cheeks blushed pink as she nodded, "Yes, it's wonderful isn't it?"

"Yeah, congrats!"

Once all of the guests had appeared, Harry decided it was time to make a speech for his gorgeous daughter, even if she didn't have a clue what he was saying.

He held his glass high and smiled.

"To my daughter Lily" he began, "I can't believe it's been a year since you were born. Yes, you were unexpected, but unexpected surprises are always the best"

Some people awed, others laughed softly at this comment.

"I couldn't ask for a more beautiful daughter and I hope that I can be the best dad you could have wished for… I know your grandparents would be proud"

Of course, he was talking about his own parents not Hermione's, as hers were stood in the corner of the room. He wished his parents were stood in the room too, beaming at their granddaughter with pride. He knew that they would have loved her.

"To Lily!" he shouted, raising his glass higher.

"To Lily!" everyone chorused, clinking their glasses together and grinning before taking a sip.

Just then, something happened that made Harry's heart swell with happiness.

"Wove You Daddy" Lily laughed, rolling around on the floor with her teddy. Harry ran over and lifted her up.

"I love you too Lily" he beamed, spinning her round playfully.

As the night went on, there was a peaceful glow that filled the atmosphere. Everyone was content and life was going well.

Harry went out onto the balcony and sighed.

"Hard day?"

It was Hermione; he swivelled round and smiled at her, holding his arms out to hug her.

"Yeah…" he whispered sadly, embracing her in his arms.

"Then what's the matter?" she asked, gripping him tightly.

"Everything's going so fast, I can't keep up"

Hermione pulled away from the hug and gave him a weak smile, before bursting into giggles.

"Well you better start sprinting… because I'm pregnant"

"What!" Harry gasped. He reacted by lifting her up and spinning her round just as he had with Lily, although Hermione was a little heavier.

"That's wonderful" He grinned.

It was at that moment Harry his heart fill with joy, his mind raced and he couldn't think of anything but that he was going to have another child. His family was growing, just like his heart. He suddenly saw his life being planned out in his head and Harry couldn't be happier.

_**The End.**_

_A/N: Thanks so much for sticking with the story until the end! Thank you for all your reviews and support! I planned to write more stories but until next time, goodbye!_


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